When I had my shop in Northern California, my main supplier of fabric was Burch for a long time. I moved down to Florida a few years ago and I want to start a new upholstery shop down here.
Now my question:
So I called Burch to get some book samples, so I opened an account with them. They only sent me a supply catalogue and a sumbrella catalogue with no fabric samples just pictures. I called them back and asked if they are going to send me any real sample books for residential and commercial furniture. They told me when I have a customer to send them to their website to pick out fabrics because they didn't have any book samples to send me. I need real sample books if you guys can direct me to where I can find or purchase any please let me know.
-Thanks
Burch was one of my main fabric suppliers for many years also. The salesman called on me monthly.
I haven't seen a Burch salesman in nearly 10 years now. And they haven't sent me a new sample book in several years either. I don't think that they even cater to "mom & pop" shops any more.
Greenhouse Fabrics (North Carolina) sends me new books 3 or 4 times a year. Charlotte Fabrics (Minneapolis) still sends a salesman twice a year (with new books). And I have a few smaller regional companies that call on me, and bring books.
Maybe Chris, Kody or Paul can turn you on to some regional suppliers in Florida.
Miami Mike is one our resident member-suppliers for auto/marine.
The days when companies would send out sample books to new shops for free are just about gone.
Another fabric supplier that I really like is Leon's in Columbus, Ga. They don't send out new books very often, but they have a nice selection with very few back-orders.
I do not know where your located in Florida but Miami Corp is very hard to beat as a supplier if your located from around West Palm North. Delivery is via Blue Streak and all shipping is a flat $ 10 rate.
Contact Miami Mike and ask him for some sample books. He got me all set up with sample books and registered my account with them and I now use them exclusively. Awesome service and quick turn around on fabrics and supplies as most everything ships out of Jacksonville.
Here is Mike's contact info - MWeunski@miamicorp.com Phone - 513-298-5519
Chris
We'd love to earn your business. We're 2-3 day shipping to Florida (depending on where) and ship to Florida several times per week...
If you need 1 day service, check out:
Bry-Tech (Jacksonville and Orlando)
Gulf Fabrics (Tampa)
General Upholstery Supply (Hialeah)
I hope this helps!
-Andtrew
Quote from: ahkahn on May 23, 2012, 05:44:54 am
I hope this helps!
-Andtrew
You didn't answer the question........Will you, or those others that you mentioned send him some REAL sample books? ;)
Burch went to a program that included sample books for a price of around , hmmm can't remember but it was less than $500. Problem with that program, one wasn't guaranteed that the sampled materials would be around for a length of time. It would be such a loser to buy the books and shortly find out sampled materials were no longer available.
I think all this leads to the expansion of retailers like Johannes (sp?).
So many customers now think if they buy from the shop, they pay too much.
Things change.
Doyle
I am 25 minutes from Fort Lauderdale, and what I need is residential and commercial
fabrics. I already checked General and Miami Corp they don't carry fabrics. Thanks for the quick replies guys.
Quote from: DB on May 23, 2012, 06:05:00 am
Burch went to a program that included sample books for a price of around , hmmm can't remember but it was less than $500.
I did their "Direct Import Program" the first year that it came out. It was $200, which included several "free" supply items (denim, accord, welt cord) as well as a sample book. The book was only good for 1 year, and only had about 30 patterns in it. By the time I finally sold a job out of the sample book, it was already discontinued. It took customers a milli-second to flip through the book and say "What else ya got?"
I don't know what they charge for it now, but if it still has such a limited selection, it's a waste of time IMO.
Carlos, welcome to the Community
A post like this always makes me look at the suppliers who sponsor this forum. Look under suppliers. And its always nice to see new businesses there.
More and more the suppliers are switching from books to on line. Cost is the reason. Whenever I ask the wholesalers why their prices are so much higher than the outlets they always respond, the books are so expensive.
Its getting easy for the customer to find a fabric online and call you for the price.
A few suppliers who serve the southeast and still have books are,
Derby Fabrics- http://www.derbyfabrics.com/
Leon Fabrics- http://www.leonsfabrics.net/
Scott fabrics- http://www.scottfabrics.com/
To answer the question DIRECTLY, we have and do send real samples.
Everything posted about costs is absolutely true, think about this: Each stackbook runs (our cost) around $12-$15. Each wallboard runs around $12-$15. Each sample CARD runs around $2-$3. You add up everything and multiply that by 1000, 1500, or 2000 customers and it gets extremely costly.
We ask that new potential customers put $100 deposit down to get the sample package. Once you do $300 in business with us, we credit back the $100, so it essentially doesn't cost you anything. We feel this weeds out the weekend warriors who often want a full sample package to decide what color to redo their sofa.
With all of that said, we are stronger on vinyl and supplies than residential or commercial fabrics. We do carry some microfibers, Crypton suede, tweeds, velvets, and patterned chenilles, but if you're looking for a box of 100 fabric patterns, that's not our strength, and you may want to try a Greenhouse or Charlotte. i believe even Burch has moved away from that.
I cannot speak to the policies or product lines of the others that I listed. All I know is that they are good ethical people and they'll do their best to treat you right.
-Andrew
I think that Andrew's policy regarding the sending of sample books is as good as a new "start-up shop" is going to find.
Greenhouse sends me about 20 new books a year free. Problem is, the retail prices are obscene, and climbing.
I've complained to them. They promise me that some moderately priced books are coming soon. I've been hearing that for a couple of years now. Every month, they just get higher.
The last 2 cases of books were in the 60's and up. Customer around here simply won't pay that. They have too many low cost options online and at outlet stores.
Waverly set me up to receive sample books several years ago, all I had to do was pay the shipping. That sounded fair......until they started overwhelming me with books that were about a month away from being discontinued. And many of them were duplicates. All they were doing was saving themselves a trip to the landfill.
I guess that ordering fabric off a computer screen is the direction that the business is irreversably headed in.
I posted this awhile back and I'll do it again only because I enjoy repeating myself.
I accidentally gave a wholesale price to a homeowner for fabric. She found the same Dura Lee fabric at JoAnns cheaper with her 40% discount coupon. She then found it cheaper, including shipping directly to me, on line. The return address was a Dural Lee warehouse and it third Party.
It's a competitive world out there.
gene
Things have changed for sure. My business is loaded with work all the time. Therefore, I try to avoid the fray being discussed by suggesting that the customers get their own fabric. This works better for the shop because we don't spend the selling time which isn't a minor issue.
Another plus is most people won't try to shop labor quite as much as fabric cost because how do you compare labor when everyone's work is not the same. Therefore, it doesn't take a mental giant to know it can lead to an apples and oranges thing.
One point that I concede to being a small shop, most of our volumes are relatively small we really don't buy enough to get a quote "big wholesale" discount from a distributor or similar vendor. They the vendors tie up a lot of money in materials and building cost. An upholsterer would have bigger buying power if they designed their business as a service and sales (sold fabric as a separate business for example retail) business. Going in that direction would require significant more investment, not only in labor but stock and a retail outlet.
So, all that, in perspective is why I don't categorize my business as a retailer. My business plan becomes fairly basic that way because the charges are more straight forward.
Another final word on cost and markup is I don't think retailing is the way to go for a small business, it has become difficult to compete against those into the business on a national scale.
Much more discussion can be made on this, I realize, but there is work on the bench, that's where my profit it. ;)
Doyle
QuoteGreenhouse Fabrics (North Carolina) sends me new books 3 or 4 times a year.
Your doing better than I am Sofa, they make me pay for each and every sample book I have. Granted I do not do a lot of volume with them, probably because I dont have that many samples, but it is not uncommon for me to due a couple thousand in leather a year with them.
So the cost of sample books is going up, cry me a river. Like my cost of doing business is not? My electric, heat, insurance, garbage, labor, gas, maintenance, etc, is all going up, but I have not limited my services to my clients because of it. Yea I have raised prices like everyone else, but like most small shops I increase prices a little to late and a little to little, if you know what I mean.
Selling fabrics might sound like a good idea, but I think you would run into a major problem of trying to compete with the big boys like Joannes, there is no way you could buy in large enough volume to get the prices down to a competitive level. The little guy is being pushed out by the big names, it's amazing to look at pictures of my home town from back in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the streets were filled with small businesses, everything you could want or need was supplied by your neighbors and a man could provide for his family by himself, his wife could stay home and make the house a home, raise well adjusted, behaved and respectful children, but I'm getting off topic here.
I think ordering fabric off a computer scream is convenient , Save time and money.
But when you go to customer house for estimate you should bring some sample
to show them that you are a serious business
The rep from Charlotte just left my store. It's already the 3rd time this year that a Charlotte rep has called on me. She left these books:
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi775.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fyy33%2Fsofadoc%2Fth_DSC00298.jpg&hash=5ea6e8224650c69a0818f3bd7afee31c) (http://s775.photobucket.com/albums/yy33/sofadoc/?action=view¤t=DSC00298.jpg)
All moderately priced, but mostly plain patterns. Seems like more and more fabric suppliers are just trying to "stick to the basics".
I've already bought nearly $4000 worth from Greenhouse so far this year, but I can see that pace dropping off dramatically because they refuse to send any books that are reasonably priced.
I'm going to try to show more loyalty to Charlotte, and some of the smaller regional suppliers that still call on me.
Yes, sofadoc, but isn't Texas a few years behind the rest of the world? Those books are free to you because they became obsolete for everyone else 3 years ago. The Charlotte rep is just trying to reduce her garbage disposal fees.
I don't know about this for sure, sofa, I'm just repeating what those guys from Florida were saying.
gene 8)
Quote from: gene on May 24, 2012, 03:45:08 pm
I don't know about this for sure, sofa, I'm just repeating what those guys from Florida were saying.
gene 8)
Wasn't me Sofa. I have nothing but good things to say about you piss pouring Texans. :)
Quote from: gene on May 24, 2012, 03:45:08 pm
Yes, sofadoc, but isn't Texas a few years behind the rest of the world? Those books are free to you because they became obsolete for everyone else 3 years ago. The Charlotte rep is just trying to reduce her garbage disposal fees.I don't know about this for sure, sofa, I'm just repeating what those guys from Florida were saying.
Come to think of it, those samples DID have a lot of avocado green, and harvest gold colors. And she promised a free set of yellow boot liners with every order.
We do offer several furniture lines of fabric. You might not see them on our web page but we do offer furniture fabrics. Now in the contract vinyl's we have several to choose from. True furniture not a large selection, bit offer some. You will need to request them. We have 5 furniture books and all the fabric ships from south Carolina. You just need to ask the right questions and you can get. If you can call me and we can go over them and if you feel the line can help you we will work on getting you the samples. We do offer the widest line of fabrics and vinyl,s east of Mississippi. Well Texas as well now, we have just opened a new location in Arlington. I look forward in talking to you and will give you direction on the best way to help you get what you need.
Quote from: Miami Mike on May 28, 2012, 07:02:51 pm
Well Texas as well now, we have just opened a new location in Arlington. I look forward in talking to you and will give you direction on the best way to help you get what you need.
If you have a location in Arlington, and you have furniture books, I'm interested as long as they don't retail in the 60's and over (Greenhouse has me well stocked in those).
I'll call you.
The furniture ships from south Carolina . I'll be in the office tomorrow